And then Eden turned and said something to Annelise, draped her arm around her shoulders. The lights in the auditorium briefly revealed silvery tracks beneath Annelise’s eyes. Annelise brushed at her face and smiled hugely, like a Cheshire cat.
But she’d been crying.
Gabe closed his eyes. Drew in a long, ragged breath.
Right now Eden was probably formulating the first of what would likely turn out to be a million excuses for Townes in order to forestall the inevitable crushing of trust. She was getting ready to withstand the sympathy and gloating and curiosity of everyone in her town. Based on a decision she’d had to make in a manner of minutes.
And with a blinding clarity he knew there was literally nothing he wouldn’t do for her. No matter what. Nothing mattered, not his pride or his feelings, not who said what when. It all seemed patently ridiculous to care about these things when all he wanted out of life was to make things right for Eden.
And he knew exactly what to do now. It was his own sort of Hail Mary.
So basically Jasper Townes had given him a gift.
Mrs. Maker appeared at his elbow holding a clipboard. “All set to launch the raffle, Mr. Caldera?”
“Hey, Donna? Give me five minutes.”
“Have to tinkle?” she whispered sympathetically.
“Just don’t go anywhere until I get back.” He inadvertently used his lieutenant voice. Which made her blink. “And please tell Mrs. Clapper she’ll have to take over the prize calling duties. She’s doing great.”
“Yes,sir.”
“Mama... I don’t see a guitar on the stage yet. Do you?”
“No, honey. Not yet, honey.”
Eden felt as though a guitar pick were lodged in her throat. How could anyone look at Annelise, promise her something, and thenbail? How could you not want to move heaven and earth to give her the moon? How the hell dare he insinuate himself into their lives, raise Annelise’s hopes... and not say a damn thing about not showing up? How could he put her through this?
It had been a test, not just for him. And now Eden felt as though she’d failed it.
She was holding her body rigidly, as if to protect it from blows. Because it hurt. Every muscle in her body was locked thanks to a mix of rage and grief and impending heartbreak. Her daughter’s, hers. It was all the same. She had anticipated this. It didn’t mean she was ready for it.
She didn’t see Gabe anywhere.
“Do you think maybe he’ll appear on a platform on the back of the stage and there will be smoke and stuff and then he’ll have the guitar?”
And finally Eden couldn’t speak. She’d run out of things to say to reassure or deflect.
She wanted the moment of humiliation to be over, so she could get to the part where she searched out an excuse for Annelise, one that would take that worried expression from her face, restore some of her inherent faith in the trustworthiness of adults.
Eden knew it wouldn’t be the last time in Annelise’s life someone she’d decided to trust had let her down. No one got through life unscathed like that. But a little bit of innocence was lost the first time it happened, and it never returned, and it was too soon, too soon for her baby to become jaded.
Fuck.
Mrs. Clapper was talking. “...and last, butdefinitely,not least, the very, very special prize donated by Annelise Harwood herself...”
She glanced to the empty spot on the stage.
Which was where every eye in the place was fixed.
Until they all swiveled over to where Eden and Annelise were sitting.
Mrs. Clapper pushed her glasses up a little higher on her face and cleared her throat into the microphone.
Long, awkward silences were typically followed by a whole audience full of curious murmurs, Eden knew. It was only a matter of seconds before those started up.
“...um, it seems we are miss...”